Entry tags:

!complete, capable, max rockatansky

Who: Max Rockatansky madman & Capable _capable_
What: Office visit.
When: Monday, July 13, morning
Where: Social Services Office
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Potentially some discussion of either of their issues which they're being treated for at the center. Potentially not. Max isn't really much of a talker.
Status: Closed/Completed GDoc

~*~

Every time Max walked into the office for his appointments he lost a little of himself. His steps became more unsteady, his gait less sure. Pain flared up from its hiding places inside his battered body to remind him he was mortal. Some found hope in the Social Services office. Max only found pain and fear and the reminders of death.

He checked in before looking at the waiting room.

It seemed easier that way.

Knowing how many people were in the room was often harder than guessing. Max could let his mind wander the desert wastelands alone which made a crowd of people welcome. If he looked first? All he could see was the crowd---watching. Their eyes became piercing, sharp as knives, marking up his skin with their judgment, bleeding him for their amusement, mocking him with their lives he'd never have.

A glance around showed there was one familiar face in the crowd. Pretty girl. Kind eyes. Max hadn't asked her name. He moved to where she was with a careful shuffle, leaning back on his good leg for balance as his hand went to the brace on his bad one to fiddle with it.

"Sit here? If doesn't bother you? Remember you from another time. Kind eyes. Hoped this place helped you more'n---hoped it helped you more. Seemed better for someone like you with your kind eyes."

He nodded, his eyes moving away from her to the chair beside her. It was easier to look at an object than a woman. Easier to look at anything other than a person.

~*~

Capable didn’t mind these enforced sessions though she wasn’t as relaxed as she had been before, nothing to do with this but more the dreams she had started having. They were unsettling. A post-apocalyptic world, cruel and harsh. One where she hadn’t yet been saved. She was nothing more than a slave despite being called a ‘wife’ by an ugly nasty man who wished for a ‘perfect’ child. It made her shudder just to think of it so she tried not to think of it. She hadn’t yet told anybody, wasn’t sure she could. Certainly not here, they’d send her back and she was doing so well. Her job was good, her classes were good and she was slowly making more friends. No, she wouldn’t go back.

Looking up she smiled brightly, remembering the sweet quiet man from before. “Max right?” she said before patting the seat next to her, “You’re always welcome to sit next to me” she told him kindly, “And thank you, that’s a nice way to be remembered. My name is Capable” she added as she waited for him to sit down.

~*~

Nodding, Max sat beside her, carefully arranging his bad leg to stretch out before him. The brace had started to pull at his skin again. He knew it meant he'd have to go back to the doctor. One more trip to one more physician determined to make him miserable. Always trying to give him an opinion. Always making an effort to tell him how he should be living his life. Never thinking on how it'd affect him to listen to all their opinions.

"Capable. Hhm. Alright then, sounds fair," Max decided as he made an approving noise.

Names were interesting to him. He'd not thought to get hers. Seemed he should have as it fit so well. She was going to use this place. Get capable of handling things on her own. Go on to live a good life after finishing up with smart school. Things would be good for her. Max wouldn't think of the dreams he'd had where nothing good ever happened for anyone and all which could be seen was wastelands and selfishness.

Every man for himself.

Certain himself for himself.

"Remember people strange often. Glad suits you."

~*~

She smiled, “It’s unusual I know but it’s mine” she shrugged, she was reclaiming it for herself and moving on from her past. Or she was trying anyway. It was working for the most part and she kind of liked the idea of becoming true to her name. Becoming capable.

“I remember people too. Mostly those who I think are kind and interesting” she told him, “I meet a lot of interesting people in the store. Oh, did you try the talking books?” she asked him, remembering their last conversation. “I ordered some into the store just in case I bumped into you again. If you have a chance you should stop by and see if there’s anything you’d like” she suggested. Not that she was going to pressure him to but it might be nice to see him outside of this office.

~*~

Talking books? Being read to, Max remembered. She'd suggested it as an alternative to trying to read for himself. He had not read in years courtesy of his condition. It seemed feasible to listen to someone else better than trying to force his mind to quiet enough to hear himself. His voice wasn't nearly as interesting as other voices. Max tried to think of places he'd been lately.

The Road.

The Rig.

The Beach.

There hadn't been much else for him.

"Haven't shopped much. Never do. Mostly stop by fuel stations. Weigh stations. Toll roads. Think it's a good idea. Smart. Haven't had a chance to try it out to see if would work better than reading. Seems as if it would. Been a long time since listened to anyone talking for long. Mostly doctors."

He nodded to the counter.

"Staff here. That's all. You talk to many yourself?"

~*~

“Doctors talking is definitely not as interesting as a good story” Capable told him before she nodded, “I talk to a lot of people. As many as I can” she admitted. “I like being able to find out about them, people interest me. They all have a story, be it good or bad or upsetting. And I like to think that those I meet were meant to cross my path for some reason, what better reason than to share stories”

It may be a fanciful idea but then Capable had found she needed to believe in something and what better thing than fate. After all how else could Furiosa being there at that exact point be explained. Fate was nicer than coincidence.

~*~

"Not all stories should be shared."

Max gave her a wry grin as he shook his head. His hair was getting shaggy again. Would need to get it cut. Seemed always had to do something to groom himself. There was never an end to what he had to do, needed to do, should do to fit in. People were more complicated than he liked on every level.

It was easier to live his life alone in his rig.

No one belonged in his life save those who lived in his head.

All the doctors wanted was to make those people go away while all Max wanted was to hold them close. They hurt him for good reason. He'd failed them. In one way or another, they were all people he'd failed. Hurt. People whose lives had been ruined on his account. Max couldn't make up for the way he'd harmed them, but he could take his punishment as was his due.

"Think yours is the kind worth sharing or the kind better kept secret?"

~*~

“Maybe not but sometimes they need to be” Capable replied, things that went unsaid could rot and fester or weigh heavily on someone until they became too much of a weight to bare.

Capable didn’t think anybody deserved to be hurt over and over again. Punishment and torture were very different things and mistakes made didn’t deserve torture.She believed everybody deserved a second chance and consistently and repeatedly paying for the past didn’t help the future.

“If I keep it a secret how will I be able to help stop it happening again?” she asked him, “Others may not be as lucky to have a Furiosa of their own to save them”

~*~

Furiosa rang a bell for Max, but he only nodded again, fixing his gaze on his lap as his fingers picked at the worn brace holding his leg together. He wasn't there to remark on her story or pry. Max had his own demons. All he wanted was a place to sit with someone who wasn't likely to bother him enough to have him forced out of the waiting area.

He couldn't risk his license.

The Road was all he had.

"Keeping quiet isn't always about secrets. Sometimes it's all for keeping others from living pain they don't deserve. Wouldn't wish pain on people. Not my pain."

Max had too many burdens to bear up himself. The load was heavy, but he pulled it fine so far. His legs weren't straight any longer nor was his gait steady, but his heart was as strong as it'd been before his mind had fractured on him and that was enough to keep him moving forward every day. He could tick the kilometers off on each drive as seconds which led to minutes to hours to days until he'd conquered another week or another fortnight. Every run was more life he survived.

Some lived.

Others survived.

Max knew which kind he was.

~*~

“What if you don’t deserve to bear the pain alone?” Capable asked him, “I don’t think anybody should be alone, having friends or family around is almost always good I think. You don’t want friends?”

Burdens should be shared, Capable knew she wasn’t strong enough to bear things alone and honestly she didn’t want to. It was hard sometimes, too hard and a struggle to get through the day but having support around her helped. People were kind, or those she had come across were, and she appreciated that kindness. Building up relationships and friendships was going to help her recover and move away from her past. She wanted the same for this man with the sad eyes but kind smile.

~*~

"Not so good at friends," Max admitted, grinning at her with the ghost of the boy he'd once been lingering on his worn face.

He'd been a man who had friends before. There had been a camaraderie amongst him and his brothers in the service which could not be duplicated anywhere else. Being in the military was its own world. They held their own laws as well as those of their country. Fighting together, defending one another, being prepared to die for each other? Those were the kinds of things which bound them together for life.

Bombs had shattered Max's military family and his personal one.

Insurgents had taken from him---everything.

"Got a few. One very good man. He served with me. Afghanistan. He's having a baby with his man. Not them. A woman they found. Complicated I think. I like they're having a baby. Good people should have children. You got those? Friends? Children?"

~*~

“Well I could be your friend, if you’d like” Capable told him kindly, she liked his gruff but sweet manner. Being around him was calming and reassuring and if she could help she would. Even if it was just offering a safe spot to sit and wait for his appointment slot.

“That’s lovely. They must be very happy” Capable said, and she was sure the child would be lucky having parents who loved and wanted him or her so much. She nodded, “I have friends and I’m making more where and when I can” she smiled, “No children though. I’m not sure I will have them, I don’t feel like I need them. Which sounds so silly”

~*~

Max shrugged, rumpling his face as he tried to find words to explain how he felt about children. It was hard to talk on them for him. His son was dead. Sometimes he remembered how. Sometimes he remembered when. Sometimes he remembered nothing at all.

There were some perks to his particular brand of madness.

Being allowed to occasionally forget how it had felt to be a father to a son was one of the few.

"Children should be loved. Wanted. Not possessions or prizes or requirements. Not mandatory. Only reason to have children? Love. Me though? Crazy. Might do better listening to someone else."

He looked at his lap, picked at the brace again. It comforted him. The familiarity of the thing was enough to remind him who and where he was when his mind wandered, got lost in the darkness.

"I would---like being your friend."

Max swallowed hard. It was far, far more difficult to say something declarative. Statements involving 'I' or 'me' were hard for Max. They were hard for him due to his disease. They were hard for him due to the fact he didn't feel worthy of having them. They were hard for him because many days he couldn't remember he was free to be.

~*~

Capable allowed him as much time as he needed to gather his thoughts before speaking, she had gathered already that he didn’t interact with others often so didn’t want him to feel rushed when talking to her.

“You’re right, they should” she leaned in a little closer, not enough to worry him but so she could speak quietly, “For the record I don’t think you’re all that crazy” she told him, “You’re smart” she declared to him.

Her smile was bright and happy, “Good. That’s it then we’re friends” she told him, “I promise I’ll try to be a good friend” she added, “You need good friends, everybody does” she told him with care and honesty shining in her eyes.

~*~

Everything in Max wanted to recoil from her as she leaned closer to him. Closer usually meant pain. People didn't get close to him unless it was to hurt him. Max knew that though he couldn't say why. His dreams were all fire and blood and wastelands filled with the dead he'd failed to save; there was no kindness offered to him even in his sleep. Capable was hardly the kind of young woman to be able to hurt him, but there were all sorts of hurts in the world.

Max knew that better than most.

His name was called from the front and he started, moving unsteadily to his feet as he prepared to head to his appointment.

"Network. Can always find me there. Or State Beach. Part of Huntington. My beach. Sleep there in my rig mostly. Good to have a friend in you, Capable. Hope you make better ones than me, but do best as I can as it stands. No worries. Remember being a friend. Me. Iremember being a friend. Long time ago."

He smiled weakly at her before limping back for his mandatory office visit.